almost want to never offroad again! need help!

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Austin On The Coast

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Well guys, I REALLY need help. Could barely make it home tonight, already know my ball joints were out but I go for a ride tonight and wasn't even off roading really, do a donut and turn around and I go to straighten and everything is almost locked up feeling, barely turns. My friend thinks it's the power steering or control arm or front arm of some sort, and I don't really have ANY money right now. My tires are getting low too and I'll need to change those, it's like Wtf!

Anyways, any ideas what happened? Tight turn to basically no steering, I can't turn 90 degrees, only about 45 with cranking the **** out of it. ;(

I can't drive it on the highway and can't really park it in my or any drive way, so I have to get it fixed asap.

More and more I'm leaning towards a car but it's like Wtf, I don't mash anything real hard and have got damage and now this from basically nothing. So Pissed.

I want to have it looked at tomorrow 4/21 but like I said no money right now, just got out of a temp job and started working for a guy but it's not picking up yet. And I NEED cash and an idea of what's wrong so I know approx how much it's be at a good price not some dealership bogus fix,m ripping me a hole in my wallet.

Power steering? Control or mechanical part similar?
Thanks in advance. Have been totally stoaked at how my trucks been and now poop, feelin low again with her, not good. As I said looking more and more towards a car but ****, I love trucks, espcially Dodge Ram, nothing I'd rather have.

Any info will help a lot, my other buddy said he thinks the front arm (whatever it's called sorry, not to knowledgeable yet) and he thinks that's why but its ridiculous how hard it is to turn, it's like trying to lift the truck.... Sad night, future day. . No money. **** out of luck right now.
 

USMC1188

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Sounds like a power steering pump or something related. Crawl under and look around, you may find something out of place. Check the lines going to and from your power steering box as well, maybe you have a leak or pinched a line? That's my best advice without being there... just look and see what you can find. Good luck! Keep us posted!
 

NYCruiser

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Get under there and post pics of everything you see. Some smart guys on here will notice the problems.
 
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Austin On The Coast

Austin On The Coast

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;(

Here's where I believe may be the issue. Nothing really looks out of place but my friend thinks this is bent some. I'll take some more pics but here's a couple of the arms and ****. Hoping it's not to much to make me want to not have a truck, I already got 2200+ to do so more is not really what I want

Glad I had buddy's with me to help crank the ******** wheel but it was my one friend who told me to do a ******* donut that caused whatever problem. Like I said I wasn't four wheeling or nothing so I'm ragin'
 

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bendirkss

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You do what your friends tell you then complain when something goes wrong. You have no money for tires so you do donuts to burn your current ones off..
 

Johnn123

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Wanna play ya gotta pay :naughty:

Doesnt look bent to me, can you get shots of the other sides? Of the c-arms themselves?
To me sounds like your PS pump took a $h!t on ya. Cranking the wheel real hard is a sign your PS isnt working.
 

dodge dude94

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You didn't by any chance manage to bump the t-case into 4WD did you?

I'm with the other guys, sure sound like the PS pump went out. They don't like having the wheel cranked while romping on the throttle. I'd be taking that belt off and trying to spin it to see what's going on.
 

Johnn123

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You didn't by any chance manage to bump the t-case into 4WD did you?

I'm with the other guys, sure sound like the PS pump went out. They don't like having the wheel cranked while romping on the throttle. I'd be taking that belt off and trying to spin it to see what's going on.

Good test there, yea pull the belt and try to spin the pulley by hand see if its hard to spin, feels like its grinding, etc.
 

katokahn99

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Well that sucks...I can't offer any more than has already been said, so...

:popcorn:
 
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Austin On The Coast

Austin On The Coast

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So after having the guy I work for check it out he thinks it's not the PS as it's full and spins good, belt runs and he said when I turn it the steering colum moves but not the gearbox so tosay I got estimates for balljoints and gearbox at a local shop. A lot less then I thought luckily. Gear box at about 200 something and balljoints at 4 something, plus an alignment for a total of 745, les schwab told me 589.99 just for ball joints and the shop said they prob are fine even just the gearbox bit they are going to check it out for me.

And I wasn't burning out, or doing donuts. I did two circles basically, wasn't cranking it super hard or anything even, cranked it and turned not the richest, but yeah I get what you guys mean. My point off not offroading lastnight was because I didn't want more damage and I turn around a get pooped on
 

katokahn99

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We're just trying to lighten the mood. ...but you did say, "...do a donut and..."

I for one am genuinly curious as to what caused the problem and what your fix will be.

:sorrysign: Sorry if my post came across as insensitive.

(Now I need to go do 100 burpees and haul someting heavy to get my testosterone back up. :sparta: )
 

dodge dude94

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I don't see ball joints causing that issue with what you said you did. I'm probably wrong, but I just don't see it. Steering gear, yes, since you have wheeled the truck before, that's a possibility.
 
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Austin On The Coast

Austin On The Coast

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Lol it's all good, I'm hopefutlly taking her in today to the local shop to have them do my ball joints and the gearbox (what is the cause of my prob we believe) the PS looks good, just the piece connected to your steering shaft isn't moving really while my steering shaft is moving. The shop said they'd make sure I even need ball joints first which makes me happy because people around here like to charge you up the ass cause it's the coast, and for the most part the shops around here are the only ones you have unless you head out to the valley (hour or two away).

So I feel like this shop might be my best bet on most things, they don't like les schwabs too much.
But there's another shop that works on our Police vehicles and a lot of others, a little more expensive then schwabs but they use more preformance type gear which is probably better then schwabs basic gear. I got a new battery for my truck and it still dims when my subs hit at night, which bums me out
 
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Austin On The Coast

Austin On The Coast

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My joints were already out, so I am just going to get both done as the shop will beat schwab and the other shops prices. Plus my gearbox replacement.
 

leadrofthepak

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Maybe it's just the way the picture was taken but I swear it looks like the steering stabilizer shock is bent.
If you lift the front end up off of the tires, leave the key in the on position, you should be able to grab a front tire and turn it by hand. If it is very hard to turn or not turning at all, disconnect the stabilizer and try again. Still hard, disconnect the pitman arm, try again. With the pitman disconnected you should be able to move the pitman arm side to side unless the gearbox is binding. Just thought I would throw some driveway diagnostics your way, maybe save yourself a few pennies.
 

katokahn99

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I think before replacing anything that isn't obviously damaged, all steering and front end suspension components should be disconnected and retorqued.
 
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Austin On The Coast

Austin On The Coast

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Thanks guys! I'm going to definetly have to check all my other stuff out and if they are doing my ball joints I think they would be probably disconnecting some stuff under there, and I could ask them about retorquing stuff, I'm also getting an alignment.

It looks like I'm done offroading for awhile though, next I'll have to get some new tires.
I live here on the OREGON Coast where it's always wet, I have 315 75 16 bfg at's on and after market wheels, I love the size of wheels but wish they were not quite as wide, anyone have ideas on a good wet traction tore that doesn't look totally lame, and a good size to go to? I do not want to go back to stock but I might see about trading my wheels for whatever size, or just buying and paying off a set of great tires andsome badasss wheels, I like the offset look but don't know why or how you go about that, or what the things that come with it?
 

dapepper9

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for tire suggestion, since you want tires good in wet theres a couple Imma throw at ya. Cooper Discoverer AT/3, Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmour, or Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac.
I recommend the Duratrac or Discoverer myself. I have the SilentArmours and they're pretty good but not as good offroad as I'd like. Id have gotten the Duratracs if I could. I've heard many good things about the Discoverers tho
 

Johnn123

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FWIW, Ive heard the duratracs burn up like none other on the road.
 

evanblain

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I have duratracs and haven't heard or experienced that myself but we've had snow on our roads for the last 7 months so who knows lol

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